Drivers get hump at 'safety' moves

DELIVERY drivers are getting increasingly frustrated by barriers and fences put up at Cambridge Steps. They feel the measures put in place by the Harbour Authority are making their job of delivering for the 8.30am sailing to Herm harder and longer.

Four years ago a metal roadside barrier was put in place around the corner, but to stop vans pulling up and passing their deliveries over it a 6ft temporary fence was eventually put in place as well.

And last weekend a new chain-link fence was erected to stop vans reversing closer to the pick-up point just outside the Travel Trident office, in a similar way to the pillar at the start of the pedestrian path.

'There's more and more congestion, with cars and vans having to back up for each other.

'Sometimes you have to park about 100 metres away and if, like me, you have 25 or 30 bags to deliver, you are doing that many trips as well,' said Hotel and Commercial Laundries manager Colin Druce. 'The chain fences went up last weekend and that's another obstacle. It seems every time I come here, we are getting further and further away.

'Before all these fences went up, we could pass the bags over the barrier and we were gone in a couple of minutes, but now we are adding another half-an-hour onto our day.'

Deputy harbour master Tony Pattimore said all the changes were for safety reasons.

'The fences went up to stop people parking on the yellow hatched area and blocking the road when they were passing deliveries over the barrier.

'There is a lay-by just up from the corner which can be used. I've even seen people reversing down the walkway in smaller vans before the pillar was put in place because they were too lazy to carry stuff.

'Initially there was some worry from the Travel Trident operators but they now seem happy about the safety measures. In the summer, we will be getting a lot of families queuing up as well and we wouldn't want an accident to happen.'

Manor Farm Foods delivery man Geoff Scambler said the changes had started putting everyone behind schedule for the day.

'It's a bit of a pain. We used to be able to pass things over the barrier but now we can't. It's causing queues and making us take that much longer to do the delivery.'

Mr Druce would like harbour officials to talk to him and other delivery people to hear their views.

'It is common sense not to make us park further away. We used to park up and be gone but now we have to go back and forth.

'What the harbour master should do is try to see what it's like to carry 25 or 30 bags of laundry half-a-mile every day - then, I think, he would get us closer to the steps.'